I found the following discussion about the treatment that Gov. Sarah Palin has received since she was announced as John McCain’s Vice President incredibly insightful. It was broadcast on the September 5, 2008 “Hannity and Colmes” program on Fox News.
The participants are conservatives Sean Hannity, Bay Bucanan, and liberals Alan Colmes and Kirsten Powers. Kirsten Powers had some amazing things to say:
Kirsten Powers: It’s not the National Organization for Women, right? But it’s not. It’s really the National Organization for Liberal Women. It’s not the National Organization for Women, because she’s a woman. And they put out a statement saying, “Not all women speak for women. Sarah Palin doesn’t speak for women.” Well, look; this woman, when I look at her – even if I don’t support her, you know, a lot of her policies, she is the embodiment of what feminism was all about. She’s a mother, she’s successful, her husband helps with the children. You know, we should be exited about this, even if you don’t support her.
Sean Hannity: I find the attacks unprecedented, insulting, degrading,sexist, mean-spirited, hateful, and it’s got to stop. The media in this country – and Democrats – the Democratic mayor of Philly today called her ‘repulsive,’ her speech. I mean, it’s unbelievable what’s going on.
Bay Buchanan: It’s the most outrageous thing I’ve seen in politics. I cannot tell you. I’m astounded at the assault on this woman. And all she has done… she was chosen to be put on our ticket. She’s not on their ticket. What do they care who we put on our ticket? And we are thrilled out of our minds.
But I’ve got to tell you what is so remarkable about her, in my opinion. Is… She’s extraordinary competent, and smart, and accomplished. And then she’s a mom, and a governor. But she’s always very feminine, that’s the key…
Alan Colmes: If you support someone just because they’re a woman, and the National Organization for Women supports anybody whose a woman,then you’re saying we’re just supporting them because they’re a woman, and you’re not being discerning at all. So you can’t have it both ways.
Kirsten Powers: I would agree with that if they had any kind of actual moral authority, but they don’t, because they don’t ever support any women who don’t support their very narrow agenda. So they should just rename themselves and say what they’re really for, and stop pretending like they really care about the advancement for women.
And like I said, I don’t support Sarah Palin. But, I’m sorry, I find it offensive the way that she’s been talked about, and I agree with what they (Sean Hannity and Pat Buchanan) just said. The way that she’s been attacked, and the Democrats are coming out and saying that she’s, you know… You have a liberal radio host, Ed Shultz, going on CNN, referring to ‘Bimbo Alerts.’ [About] The governor of Alaska. Telling her that she’s not a good mother because her daughter got pregnant. I mean, this is so far out of bounds.
Kirsten Powers has the most powerful, the sharpest, and the most insightful analysis of all.
While I am a conservative, I have always admired Kirsten Powers for her obvious intelligence. In a few short sentences, this liberal woman drives a stake through the pretensions of the N.O.W. and demolishes the grounds for the attacks against Sarah Palin.
What on earth are liberals doing? What on earth are liberals in the media doing?
Alan Colmes raises one issue that I would like to discuss personally. He asks:
Have you forgotten all the attacks on Barack Obama? He’s a Muslim, or he’s the wrong [kind of] Christian, or he goes to the wrong church? Or he knows the wrong people, or he has bad associations?
I have personally never once accused Barack Obama being a Muslim. I saw a couple of emails early on, established that they were almost certainly not true, and moved on. [In the interest of full disclosure, at one point, after Barack Obama personally essentially “prophesied” that John McCain would use race against him in the coming campaign, I said that, if he was going to do that, then anything conservatives did was acceptable. But I never myself smeared Obama as a racist].
Nor have I ever directly addressed the issue of Barack Obama’s personal faith as a Christian.
Further, I have never been part of, or even seen, a “conservative” internet site that did either of these two things. And I would challenge Alan Colmes or anyone reading this to name one conservative website – just ONE – that has done either of these two things that rivals the Daily Kos in size and significance.
The Daily Kos is so powerful in Democratic circles that it’s “Yearly Kos Convention” hosted one of the Democratic debates – which was attended by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and seven of the eight Democratic candidates. That fact alone qualifies it as a member of the Democratic mainstream in good standing.
There is simply nothing coming out of the Republican establishment that is even close to the Daily Kos in the broadcasting of pure hate. When you consider their hateful mockery at the death of Tony Snow, when you consider their despicable attack on Sarah Palin that was proven to be pure lies (they literally claimed that Sarah faked her pregnancy to cover the fact that daughter Bristol was pregnant by incest with Sarah’s husband and Bristol’s father Todd Palin), you have a hate group.
However, I have written about Barack Obama’s church, his pastor, and his associations. In each of these cases, I have more than legitimate grounds to do so, based on widely-available documented facts. And I would submit that Alan Colmes attempting to create a moral equivalency between attacking Barack Obama’s pastor for saying, “God damn America!” and attacking Sarah Palin as a bad mother, etc., is contemptible. He should be ashamed of himself for having done that. And I can say the same thing about Barack Obama’s documented associations, such as admitted terrorist bomber William Ayers.
It was nice to see a liberal with intelligence and integrity like Kirsten Powers to repudiate – and refute – the vicious and hateful attacks that are swirling from her own ideological side against a good and innocent woman.
Tags: Alan Colmes, bad mother, Barack Obama, Bay Buchanan, Bristol, church, Daily Kos, hate, Jeremiah Wright, Kirsten Powers, Media, National Organization for Women, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, unfair, William Ayers
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